Page 21 of The Hunted
“Never take my silence as a victory,” she whispered, standing up and walking over toward him. The surprise in his eyes quickly turned into a blazing fire she felt against her skin. She didn’t shy away from it either; she found herself wanting to bask in it.
Focus.
Santino leaned back as if he knew exactly what she wanted to do. An open invitation to crawl in his lap and touch him.
But she didn’t.
“And why is that?” He kept his focus on her as she leaned forward, making sure her hands were never in his view.
“It usually means I’m plotting something dangerous,” she whispered, bringing her lips toward his. There was that flare of surprise in his eyes again. He hadn’t anticipated this from her.
He reached out, cupping the side of her neck again and pulled her closer to his lips. “Dangerous?” his voice had a low rumble to it that vibrated deep inside of her. “You’re probably as dangerous as a kitten.”
She smirked. “A kitten? I didn’t take you for a man who would dismiss the size of the fight in someone. My claws are still sharp. Do you want me to show you the damage they could do?” she licked her lips, and she could have sworn she heard him growl.
There was barely any space between their lips. All either of them had to do was lean an inch forward to give in. She was trying to keep her wits about her, but the temptation to sample what he’d feel like skin-to-skin was almost too great.
“Don’t be a tease, princess.” There was a heated threat in his words. A challenge she was all-too-ready to answer. “If you’re going to do something, do it.”
Silva smiled, having successfully lifted his wallet this time. She shifted forward, like she was going in for the kiss. She tried to stop just before they touched, but Santino didn’t, and the second their lips connected, she let out a surprised gasp that turned into a whimper when his grip on the side of her neck tightened.
He abruptly stood, taking her with him and never breaking the kiss. His other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his body like he was trying to melt the two of them together and she was totally on board with that idea.
He consumed her—surrounding her and forcing her to take what he had to give. Each breath he dragged from her body was replaced with his own, only allowing her to breathe when he saw fit. The hand at the side of her neck shifted to wrap fully around it instead. He gave her a slight squeeze and she gasped, opening up for him. The move should have alarmed her, but it was as if her survival skills had completely abandoned her and run away.
He tilted her head, angling her just the way he wanted. Her body went with it, offering herself up as a sacrifice she willingly made so long as he never stopped kissing her like this.
She was dimly aware that they weren’t in private and alone. She felt something vibrate against her leg, and Santino cursed against her lips. He slowly started to pull away, nipping at her bottom lip.
“Sorry,” he groaned.
Her own heart beat rapidly in her chest like she’d just finished running suicides her trainer enjoyed putting her through. “For the kiss or for stopping?” Was that her voice sounding all breathless and choppy?
“For both?” It was more of a question than a statement.
He pulled back, releasing his hold on her. She had to stop herself from reaching out and grabbing on to his shirt to pull him back toward her.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. “Crap,” he uttered under his breath before putting it up to his ear.
“Alvarez.” He was all business, but he kept his eyes on her. Every so often, his gaze would dip to her lips and she had to fight the urge to touch them.
Silva tried to get her body to cool down and tried not to stand so still. Shouldn’t she sit down? She couldn’t get her brain to fire off the right signals to move. She seemed rooted in her spot, waiting to see if Santino would continue what she started. She had a funny feeling her body wouldn’t turn down whatever he wanted from her.
Way to be cool, Silva.
“Who’s it addressed to? Wait, you said it’s…what? No, I haven’t even gone home yet…Yeah, I’ll be there in a few.” He hung up on a sigh. She already knew this was the end of their interaction for today and she hated it.
He started to speak, but she shook her head. “It’s fine. Go, and thanks for the coffee.” She turned to walk back to her seat, her mind already replaying the kiss instead of trying to focus on the workload she had when she felt Santino grab her arm. He abruptly turned her around and slammed his lips against hers.
This kiss was different from the first. For one, it was over just as quickly as it started but still made her dizzy. “You dismiss me without a kiss goodbye? That’s rude, princess,” he spoke against her lips. “You have my number, use it.”
Silva felt his hand slip down her arm before snatching the wallet out of her hand.
“Damn it,” she grumbled, and he laughed.
“And stop pickpocketing me. I knew the second your grabby hands had it. You’re not as good as you think you are.”
Silva pushed him off her in mock outrage. There was no way he knew she had it. He’d been focused on her lips the entire time.
